Greetings on behalf of the Executive Board of the Texas Woman’s University Black Alumni.  Another year of our existence and continued progress is about to be completed.  To all of you wonderful fellow alumni who are supporting this concept for our Alma Mater I am sending a heartfelt Thank you!  Stay connected and you will continue to see that by standing together we can scale new heights.  We are “on the map” and serve as an example for other groups.

You may have heard by now that our Chancellor and President, Dr. Ann Stuart, will be be leaving TWU in 2014.  Dr. Stuart has been a strong champion of  TWU, through overseeing an enrollment increase to over 15,000 students, and she has seen completed impressive new construction for the TWU campuses in Denton, Houston and Dallas.  The TWU presence in the State Capitol has also been made stronger through the efforts of Dr. Stuart.  She has truly been a fine leader for TWU who has also kept an ear finely tuned to hearing alumni.  TWUBA offers sincere thanks to her as we were founded during her administration.

Perhpas that you have read that all of the Texas Woman’s University alumni affairs is undergoing re-structuring under the Director, Anne Scott.  TWUBA is already happily operating within this new concept.  Under this concept there will be a number of ways to stay connected to the university and alumni may participate in as many groups as they desire.

TWUBA is celebrating a growing membership.  You are correct:  THIS IS RENEWAL TIME FOR MEMBERSHIP.  When we get your renewal you will receive a beautiful membership card for your wallet.  Basic dues cover operational costs such as gatherings, mailings, cards, etc.  We seek your continued support of helping us with contributions toward the TWUBA scholarship. Your donation above the basic level supports the scholarship endowment, one of the primary goals of TWUBA. This scholarship fund is a separate and on-going fund.  In this age of increasing expenses for higher education we are needed now, more than ever. 

You may also help TWUBA to continue to build a strong presence by giving a little quality time and volunteering to promote TWU through the organization.

My sincere wishes for a healthy and happy holiday season go to each one of you.   – Dianne

       TWU Campus Activities Board President, Brittney Verdell

Brittney Verdell is a Senior student with lots of energy and lots of dedication.  As President of the Campus Activities Board (CAB), Brittney holds one of the most responsible leadership positions at TWU.  CAB, associated with the Student Government Association, oversees a very large budget funded from student fees which are spent on bringing educational and entertaining programs to campus for the benefit of all students.  And — Brittney is a single mom, mother of a 1 1/2 year-old little girl, living on campus in the Lowry-Woods apartment complex. 

This determined young woman is originally from Dallas where she “proudly graduated form the Great James Madison High School in South Dallas.”  She is the oldest of five children and because of that she says, “Being a leader was bred into me!”  At TWU and within CAB, Brittney has had the chance to develop her leadership skills by meeting challenges.  What she values most about being CAB president is the bond that has been created between her board members and the CAB volunteers.  She feels that they look up to her and respect her and don’t stereotype her as the typical young African American single mother.  “I have overcome that!” says Brittney.

Brittney decided to come to TWU after participating in a program called Education is Freedom (EIF) which encouraged her 2009 class members to apply to as many schools as they were interested in.  She was accepted to all 11 school where she applied but chose TWU because it was close to home and she received a good scholarship to attend.

The choice of her major, Social Work, has particular significance for her.  “Growing up, I have seen all forms of government assistance, poverty, and crime.  Personally, I would love to change policies that affect African American women.  Through my career I want to help African American women to establish a value of self worth and ambition.  Hopefully, in my future, I will become a Mayor so that I can build a diverse and educated community for minorities.” 

TWUBA wishes Brittney all the best and knows wherever she is working and leading, she will make a difference!

P. S.  – Brittney is particularly excited about the speaker that CAB is bringing to campus in the spring of 2013.  The name can’t be announced yet, but she will keep TWUBA informed!

Congratulations to TWU Black Alumni (TWUBA) founding member, Eva Poole, B.A, Library Science ’72 and MLS, ’76,  on her new career opportunity!  After some 20 years as Director of Libraries for the City of Denton, Eva has moved to Wahington, D. C. as chief of staff of the Distirict of Columbia Public Library System.  In her new position, Eva oversees on of the nation’s premier library systems, which includes 24 libraries in the metro-Washington, D. C. area.  And as if that is not enough excitement Eva also took office as president of the Public Library Association (PLA) – a division of the American Library Association.  Her term as president will last from June 2012- June 2013.

With two new opportunities on the horizon, we asked Eva what she saw as her biggest challenge for each.  “My biggest challenge as PLA president is meeting the deadlines for writing my six columns in Public Libraries, the official journal of PLA!  For my position with D. C. Public Libraries, it is finding the time to visit each of our 24 neighborhood libraries.”  We also asked what she was looking forward to in each new position.  “As president, I am looking forward to helping PLA advance its mission to strengthen public libraries and the communities those libraries serve.  In my new position, I am looking forward to helping administration in its efforts to transform the Distirict of Columnbia Public Library into a world-class library system serving a world-class city.”

In total, Eva has more than 30 years in library service, serving on the boards of the American Library Association, the Library Leadership and Management Association and the Association of Library Trustees, Advocates, Friends and Foundations.  TWU wishes Eva all the best in her new endeavors!

Alisa Simmons
Marketing and Communications Manager for Tarrant County 9-1-1

Alisa Simmons, 1985, Radio and TV, has just completed a very successful educational campaign for the Tarrant County 9-1-1 District.  Alisa, the Marketing and Communications Manager, is responsible for promoting 9-1-1 use and telling the life-saving stories associated with its use.  The Dallas/Fort Worth market is the 5^th largest media market in the country, with over 2.4 million households and over 6.8 million people.  The April coverage included coverage by 17 local network affiliates plus newspaper and radio stations.  You can view the TV coverage given to a recent press conference coordinated by Alisa, recognizing a very courageous woman for her life-saving actions using 9-1-1.  See Video 

Alisa was recently elected by her peers in the 9-1-1 industry to serve on the Board of Directors for the Washington, D. C.- based Next Generation 9-1-1 Institute, which is co-chaired by Rep. John Shimkus (R-IL) and Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-CA), Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Senator Richard Burr (R- NC).   She has also been appointed to the FCC’s Communications Security, Reliability and Interoperability Council (CSRIC) – Working Group 8.

As president of TWUBA I am joyously inviting you to check out what has been happening with the Texas Woman’s Black Alumni organization in this newsletter! 

What a year!

I greet you with this exclamatory statement because it seems so appropriate in describing this ever un-folding process.  Since our first official meeting numerous high points have occurred and they need to be shared:

• Election of officers and appointment of committee chairs – April 2011
• Planning and executing the 50 year celebration of integration at TWU (honoring the first graduates of African American descent) and winning the CASE Gold Award for the effort.
• Networking event in Denton and three metropolitan areas, including Dallas, Fort Worth and Houston
• Officially gaining 501 status
• Endowing a scholarship with the minimum required amount of $10,000
• Renewed focus on building the Mentoriong/Partnering program

The Executive Committee has indeed been busy and mindful of the commitment to act for the good of TWUBA.

Oh yes, we all understand that this has taken a lot of work and cooperation.  However, for just one second I am requesting that you take the briefest of a backwards glance to review how much we have accomplished in shaping this organization.  It is then that we can pause, just briefly, to realize how far we have come.  In that brief act of looking in our “rear view mirror” one can then catapult forward with renewed energy and recognize that we must continue to move forward in continued purposeful ways in fulfilling our mission. 

This newsletter contains information encompassing highlight of various Black alumni, updates of the work committees and other items of interest.

Know that incredible strength lies in a group of people working together toward a common purpose (We know how to do that, don’t we?).  Please remember that while we are still in the early stages, we must continue to build scholarship, support alumni and strive to fulfill the TWUBA mission.  Let us not stop now.  There is much to be done!

Special thanks to each of you who continue to recognize how to give back and share your resources in helping to support this group of TWU students who need our help more than at anytime in our history. 

Finally, special mention must go to Anne Scott, Director of Alumni Relations and to Glinda Shaffer of the executive committe for putting together this newletter.